Echocardiography
Background
The use of echocardiography to evaluate right ventricular function is a challenging task, owing to the specific anatomy of the right ventricle. To date, there are no clinically established parameters to reliably describe right ventricular myocardial function. The development of tissue Doppler echocardiography and the calculation of strain and strain-rate values provide a rapid, non-invasive means of assessing regional myocardial function. Global information on right ventricular function can also be obtained from the tissue Doppler imaging data. However, the lack of wide-scale clinical application of this method means that there is no available empirical data.
Survey data
Standardised tissue Doppler data are recorded of the patients included in studies conducted by the competence network. The recorded echocardiography data are transmitted to a central database for standardised evaluation.
Objectives
The study aims to collect standardised echocardiography reference values for the assessment of right ventricular function. The results are made available to all members of the competence network for comparison with data obtained by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and heart catheterisation. They can be used to assess the therapeutic outcome.
Contacts
Project centre Freiburg
Universitätsklinikum Freiburg
Pädiatrische Kardiologie/Angeborene Herzfehler
Mathildenstr. 1
79106 Freiburg
Phone: +49 761 270-4317
Fax: +49 761 270-4468
E-mail: petra.boettler(at)email.de
Project centre Homburg/Saar
Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes
Pädiatrische Kardiologie
Kirrberger Straße
66421 Homburg/Saar
Phone: +49 6841 162830
Fax: +49 6841 1628330
E-mail: abdul-khaliq(at)uniklinikum-saarland.de
Project centre München
Kinderherz-Praxis München
Leopoldstr. 27
80802 München
Phone: +49 89 333027
Fax: +49 89 333229
E-mail: drmichaelvogel(at)web.de
Deutsches Herzzentrum München
Klinik für Kinderkardiologie und angeborene Herzfehler
Lazarettstr. 36
80636 München
Phone: +49 89 1218-1363
Fax: +49 89 1218-3013
E-mail: drvogt(at)dhm.mhn.de
